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CCH, Aspen Publishers Join Forces With TAX.CCHGROUP – A New Generation For The Internet, For Tax And Accounting Professionals

 Tax.CCHGroup Focuses on Integrated, Collaborative Environment
That Supports Way Professionals Work, Serve Clients, Manage Practice

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., October 10, 2001) – CCH INCORPORATED (CCH) said today that it has joined with its sister company Aspen Publishers, Inc. to create an integrated and comprehensive Destination Site designed specifically for tax and accounting professionals in North America. Tax.CCHGroup (http://tax.cchgroup.com) combines the substantial resources of the CCH Federal and State Tax Group, CCH Tax Compliance and Aspen to facilitate the changing way accounting, legal and financial and estate planning professionals are working, serving their clients, generating practice revenue and managing their businesses.

The first phase of the new site went live this week with a comprehensive selection of information, software, tools and marketing resources from the three Wolters Kluwer companies – and with plans for substantial enhancements over the next couple of years.

Tax.CCHGroup includes long-valued CCH research and news services, as well as new products, tools and features, such as CCH^® ClientRelate™, CCH Internet^SM Tax Research NetWork™ Mobile and an expanded online store that includes both expert and authoritative CCH and Aspen products for tax and accounting professionals, tax attorneys and financial planners.

"Tax.CCHGroup represents a clear and better vision for the Internet and for tax and accounting professionals," said Becky Hensley, president and CEO, CCH U.S. Publishing. "No other Internet site can exceed the breadth and depth of the leading provider of federal, state and international tax law information; the market-leading tax compliance and accounting software for CPAs; valued financial and estate planning software and tools; expert treatises; and the best-selling accounting guidance available today."

"Most critical," said Gene Landoe, president and CEO, CCH Tax Compliance, "is the decision over the next couple of years to seamlessly integrate this extensive body of knowledge with compliance, workflow and planning tools that will create a supportive, collaborative environment between the firm’s colleagues and clients."

A Destination Site

The launch of Tax.CCHGroup represents the first step toward creation of a Destination Site, where multiple professional and client needs are met in one high-value, easy-to-navigate, secure environment.

"A Destination Site is superior to a portal, which typically sends the professional down multiple paths to locate resources, primary information and stand-alone services," said Martin Bush, CPA, vice president of Business Development for Tax and Accounting, Wolters Kluwer North America. "Our goal going forward is to provide a more collaborative and supportive environment where information, software and work tools are integrated with each other and become a seamless support system for providing compliance and planning services, client communication and practice management."

Tax.CCHGroup is organized around five categories that typically make up the activities conducted by tax and accounting professionals. As the site is expanded, all applications, online products and tools will reside within these categories.

• Tax Research
• Tax Preparation
• Accounting and Audit
• Planning
• Practice Management

With its October debut, the site incorporates CCH’s highly regarded online research service, the CCH Internet Tax Research NetWork (CITRN) – previously available at tax.cchgroup.com. CITRN is the country’s most comprehensive collection of authoritative research materials combined with advanced and superior search functionality and helpful work, practice and planning tools. TRN includes an extensive selection of research libraries covering the full spectrum of tax law and regulatory information, explanations, analyses and treatises by in-house CCH attorneys and CPAs, as well as respected outside practitioners. The content and tools cover:

• Federal tax
• State tax
• Financial and estate planning, including CCH^® Financial Solutions™
• Business entities
• International tax, including Canadian, Latin American and Mexican
• Global transactions
• Payroll and pension
• Accounting and Audit

Also, the site includes front-page daily tax news and the popular CCH® taxTracker News, a news feature that tracks and delivers to users headlines and story summaries via daily e-mail.

Professionals may also access the CCH Internal Revenue Code and Regulations for free on Tax.CCHGroup, as well as a number of easy-to-use tools that quickly calculate savings bond values, tax rate phaseouts, loan amortization, federal income tax withholding and other personal finance related items.

In addition, users can maintain their professional standing with continuing professional educations courses via the CCH Learning Center online or with more than 30 CCH and Aspen text and audio courses.

Expanded Online Store

Tax.CCHGroup also offers an extensive catalog of subscription services, books, journals, newsletters and software – from research and planning to practice management and compliance – for tax and accounting professionals. The Online Store includes hundreds of CCH products, such as the 2001 U.S. Master Tax Guide, CCH Federal Tax Guide, ViewPlan estate planning software, CCH® Enteract™ financial planning software, Zipsales™ Lookup from DPC and the ProSystem fx Office suite.

In addition, the integrated Online Store will offer more than 50 Aspen titles that offer valuable guidance and expertise on accounting, practice management, tax, retirement planning, compensation and finance. Included in the store and available for purchase are the industry’s best selling accounting references, the Miller accounting series.

Also available from Aspen is a wide range of books and CD-ROM products authored by expert practitioners and educators, such as the CPAs Guide to Effective Engagement Letters, The Professional’s Guide to Doing Business on the Internet, Journal of State Taxation and CPA’s Guide to e-Business Consulting and Assurance Services.

Research, Compliance Integration Means Better, More Profitable Services

CCH ClientRelate, a new product from CCH, will also be featured on Tax.CCHGroup. CCH ClientRelate supports a professional’s practice at several levels by integrating the authority of the CCH Internet^SM Tax Research NetWork™ with the power of ProSystem fx® Tax.

First, CCH ClientRelate identifies, analyzes and alerts professionals to potential opportunities for enhancing the wealth and reducing the tax liability of clients, while supporting high-value service opportunities for the professional’s practice.

In addition, CCH ClientRelate provides fast access to more in-depth research and aids in the development of valuable, plain-English customer communications.

Subscribers to the CCH Internet Tax Research Network can use CCH ClientRelate to search their clients’ ProSystem fx Tax returns and identify tax savings and planning opportunities. Tax professionals have the flexibility of searching by Tax Bulletins, prepared by in-house CCH tax attorneys and CPAs and delivered via e-mail, by Service Analysis and/or by client. CCH ClientRelate performs a number of scans on returns, such as Inventory Exception for Small Taxpayers and Capital Loss Utilization for Individuals. (See accompanying press release for more information.)

New for CITRN: Miller Guides

Financial professionals have depended on the Miller accounting and auditing guides for more than 20 years. Now through Tax.CCHGroup, practitioners can subscribe to six valuable Miller libraries on CITRN. Aspen Miller titles are noted for their detailed examples and illustrations, in-depth disclosure indexes, observation paragraphs and extensive cross-referencing to original pronouncements.

The Aspen Miller libraries include the 2001 Miller GAAP Guide, which provides easy-to-follow analysis and explanation of FASB Statements, Interpretations, ARBs, and APBs in one compact book. Also available are the 2001 Miller GAAP Practice Manual, 2001 Miller GAAS Guide and 2001 Miller GAAS Practice Manual.

CCH Mobile Means Faster Access From Anywhere

Tax.CCHGroup also will include some special free enhancements for subscribers of CCH Internet research libraries. CCH Internet Tax Research NetWork Mobile has been expanded and customized to allow users of the Palm Pilot VII to access and search any publication users have included on their "My CCH" page. In addition, users can conduct a citation search, locate and access "Keep List" documents and forward documents to e-mail addresses. This is in addition to being able to receive CCH taxTracker News headlines and alerts via hand-held devices.

"This expands greatly on the practitioner’s flexibility to serve clients at a time and place convenient for both," said Charlie Ter Bush, CPA, director of marketing, CCH Federal and State Tax Group. "For example, you can be in your client’s office and quickly verify your answers to questions by searching the 2001 U.S. Master Tax Guide on your personal digital assistant.

"Of equal importance, and exclusive to CCH, we have customized the functionality of the CCH Internet Tax Research NetWork specifically to suit mobile platforms, particularly the small screens. CCH Mobile is available as part of the user’s regular subscription with no additional cost for this valuable and helpful new feature," said Ter Bush.

Also, CCH has added a new feature to speed log-ins and quick access to the materials most important to the tax professional. The Login Express toolbar now includes a Keep List button that enables users to log in directly to their personalized Keep List folders.

The new Keep List option exports and saves the Keep Folder and document titles into Microsoft^® Word or HTML pages. Users can then hotlink titles directly back to the full text document on CITRN.

Tax Compliance on the Web

Visitors to Tax.CCHGroup will have direct links to the ProSystem fx web site, where they can find product updates and news, order supplies, find training opportunities, participate in product demonstrations and download product evaluation software. Full integration of the current ProSystem fx web site into Tax.CCHGroup is planned for the future.

Users of ProSystem fx Tax have access to Tax Notebook, CCH’s online tax organizer, through their own firm’s web site. In keeping with the Destination Site’s strategy to enhance client communication and improve practice productivity, the web-based organizer guides accountants’ clients through an easy-to-use, streamlined tax interview process. Practitioner’s clients can access and use Tax Notebook by linking to the organizer from the professional’s own web site. Clients can complete the interview from their home, office or anywhere else with an Internet connection. The software tool then transfers the data directly into the client’s return, speeding data entry.

In the very near future, ProSystem fx Tax users will find even greater convenience and lower practice costs via the Internet. The software unit will roll out CCH Global fx, which will allow users to remotely access the ProSystem fx Tax product from CCH-hosted servers. Global fx will give users access to the power of ProSystem fx Tax from any computer with an Internet connection, providing greater flexibility to work wherever and whenever they want.

Moving Forward: More Integration, Collaboration, Practice Support

As the Tax.CCHGroup Destination Site evolves, tax and accounting professionals will recognize new and valuable benefits that will rely on the power, flexibility and ease of the Internet. New features, for example, will allow the professional to provide his own web-based tax return applications that can help market his practice and identify new clients and revenue sources.

A customizable "working" level will be developed on which individuals, firms or companies will be able to assemble those applications, tools and resources they use to meet compliance needs, communicate with clients and manage their practice or business. The user will be able to construct easily a flexible, collaborative intra-practice network to support this.

Greater integration and aggregation of tax, estate planning and financial planning software, information and web technology will provide for robust tools – all at the disposal of the tax and accounting professional.

"As Tax.CCHGroup evolves over the next couple of years, certain core factors remain and will continue to drive our vision," said Bush. "First, CCH and Aspen have long been trusted for their authority, expertise and innovation. Second, how the tax and accounting professionals work and serve their clients is changing and they need new tools and support. Now, we have an opportunity to turn information and technology into the definitive, supporting partnership – between the professional and Tax.CCHGroup."

About Tax.CCHgroup.com

Tax.CCHGroup.com (www.tax.cchgroup.com) is a Destination Site that brings together and integrates the authoritative information, software and services of CCH Federal and State Tax Group, CCH Tax Compliance and Aspen Publishers. Launched in October 2001, this new generation of Internet site is designed to support and facilitate the changing way that tax, legal and financial planning professionals are working, serving their clients, generating practice revenue and managing their businesses.

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